Distracted Driving Gail Weinholzer Director of Public Affairs AAA Minnesota/Iowa

ACG Proprietary and Confidential 2 The Auto Club Group What Who Why Where When How An Overview of Distracted Driving

ACG Proprietary and Confidential 3 The Auto Club Group Visual – takes your eyes off the road Cognitive – takes your mind off the road Manual – takes your hands off the wheel Auditory – takes your focus away from driving What is distracted driving?

ACG Proprietary and Confidential 4 The Auto Club Group What effect does distracted driving have on crashes? According to the Minnesota DPS between : Nearly 60,000 crashes 216 fatalities 1,037 A-injuries According to NHTSA in 2008: Nearly 6,000 people were killed nationwide More than 500,000 injured

ACG Proprietary and Confidential 5 The Auto Club Group The worst offenders with technology are the youngest and least- experienced drivers: men and women under 20 years of age. (NHTSA) But, distraction is not just a teenagers issue Older adults are gaining access/comfort with technology Ex. 90% of all drivers own a cell phone Parents, as role models, are teaching children to drive in a distracted manner And, its not just a technology issue Eating, drinking, grooming, etc Who is driving distracted?

ACG Proprietary and Confidential 6 The Auto Club Group Why is distracted driving dangerous? Perception- whether and when we notice something Judgment- deciding how we should react Action- reacting Individually each is dangerous Collectively they can be deadly

ACG Proprietary and Confidential 7 The Auto Club Group Why is distracted driving becoming more prominent? Our perceived need to be more connected Availability/affordability of technology Busier lifestyles lead to multitasking Use of all types of technology is increasing in vehicles (Ford and Audi while the rest are sure to follow)

ACG Proprietary and Confidential 8 The Auto Club Group Where and when does distracted driving most prominently occur? According to the Minnesota DPS: 45% of distracted driving crashes occur on CSAH and Minnesota trunk highways 50% of distracted driving crashes occur between 12pm-6pm

ACG Proprietary and Confidential 9 The Auto Club Group How much more dangerous is being distracted? Using a cell phone delays a drivers reaction time as much as a.08 B.A.C. (University of Utah) Talking on a cell phone reduces brain activity while driving by 37% (Carnegie Mellon) Cell phone use quadruples crash likelihood (National Safety Council) Hands-free is not significantly safer than handheld (IIHS and NSC)

ACG Proprietary and Confidential 10 The Auto Club Group How do drivers feel about distracted driving? 35% of drivers feel less safe today than they did five years ago and distracted driving was the most common reason cited. Ranks second (83%) only to impaired drivers (88%) as the leading concern of driver behaviors Do as I say, not as I do 67 % of all drivers admit to talking on a cell phone 21 % of all drivers admit to texting

ACG Proprietary and Confidential 11 The Auto Club Group How should we deal with distracted driving? Education Personally- all drivers should be educated on the dangers of distracted driving via earned and paid media, brochures, drivers ed. classes, driver improvement classes, etc Professionally- employers should establish distracted driving policies as they apply to company time, vehicles and technology (MNSC policies)

ACG Proprietary and Confidential 12 The Auto Club Group How should we deal with distracted driving? Enforcement Statute prohibits cell phone use by provisional teen drivers and bus drivers Statute prohibits text messaging by all drivers Approximately 300 convictions/citations were issued in 2009 for text messaging

ACG Proprietary and Confidential 13 The Auto Club Group Local News 3/20/2010 Cops: Tot killed as driver gets cell phone Authorities have dropped an inattentive driving citation so they can consider more serious charges over the crash that killed a 14-month-old in Columbia Heights. Source: Star Tribune

ACG Proprietary and Confidential 14 The Auto Club Group How should we deal with distracted driving? Roadway Engineering Center line and shoulder rumble strips Median cable barriers Vehicle Engineering Lane departure warning systems Collision mitigation braking MyKey technology- speed, audio

ACG Proprietary and Confidential 15 The Auto Club Group How should we deal with distracted driving? Legislation Item by item Cell phones- hand held versus hands free Reactive- chasing bad behavior Comprehensive- yet nonspecific A few states have enacted them- Utah, Maine, Vermont, Connecticut Eyes on the road, hands on the wheel, etc

ACG Proprietary and Confidential 16 The Auto Club Group Maines Comprehensive DD Law §2118. Failure to maintain control of a motor vehicle 1. Definitions. As used in this section, unless the context otherwise indicates, the following terms have the following meanings. A. "Operation of a motor vehicle while distracted" means the operation of a motor vehicle by a person who, while operating the vehicle, is engaged in an activity: (1) That is not necessary to the operation of the vehicle; and (2) That actually impairs, or would reasonably be expected to impair, the ability of the person to safely operate the vehicle.

ACG Proprietary and Confidential 17 The Auto Club Group How can I manage distractions? Recognize that driving requires your full attention If you have a passenger, ask them to assist as needed Take a break to eat, drink, make calls, etc. Allow plenty of time for breaks during your trip Get plenty of rest- its harder to pay attention when youre tired

ACG Proprietary and Confidential 18 The Auto Club Group Additional Resources Web sites of interest:

ACG Proprietary and Confidential 19 The Auto Club Group Good Advice! Unfailing Antidotes to Motor Accidents Two rules, both of them simple and easy to remember are all that any motorist needs to know and observe to obtain complete immunity from accidents. They are: 1- KEEP YOUR MIND ON THE OPERATION OF YOUR CAR WHILE IT IS IN MOTION. 2- KEEP YOUR MACHINE UNDER EASY CONTROL AT ALL TIMES. No other rules are necessary, and the driver who lives up to these two simple admonitions conscientiously will carry with him at all times the very best accident insurance that there is in the world.

ACG Proprietary and Confidential 20 The Auto Club Group Good Advice is Timeless! Article Published June 1921 by the Pioneer Press

ACG Proprietary and Confidential 21 The Auto Club Group Thank you! Contact information: Gail Weinholzer office number